No deaths in drug war with Robredo at ICAD

MANILA, Philippines — There were no reported deaths in anti-illegal drug operations while Vice President Leni Robredo was the co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), a police official said yesterday.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said this was their observation during Robredo’s tenure at ICAD from Nov. 6 to 24.

“Based on our monitoring, it would appear there was zero casualty during her 19-day stint,” he said in a phone interview.

However, Banac said they have yet to receive consolidated data on anti-drug operations during the period.

The police official clarified that the number of deaths in police operations has been decreasing even before President Duterte appointed Robredo as co-chair of ICAD.

The reason, Banac explained, is that they have shifted their focus from street-level pushers to high-value targets in the illegal drug trade.            

He cited the recent seizure of P2.6 billion worth of shabu in separate operations in Makati and Las Piñas as examples of a high-impact operation.

The PNP earlier refused to release figures on the number of drug suspects killed and arrested when Robredo was ICAD co-chair.

Sought for comment, Banac said there was a previous instruction from the Presidential Communications Operations Office that official data should only come from the RealNumbersPH report to avoid confusion.

Former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, during an official event at the Manila Hotel last July, reported that at least 6,800 drug suspects have been killed in alleged shootouts with policemen. The figure is higher than the RealNumbersPH report as of Aug. 31 where 5,779 pushers and users were killed.

Banac said there were instances of double entries in the past, especially during joint operations of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and PNP.

“There were discrepancies in our respective official figures,” he said.

Still no report from Leni

Robredo, meanwhile, has yet to release the report she promised after she was sacked as co-chair of ICAD. 

On Monday, less than 24 hours after she was sacked from the post by President Duterte, the Vice President said she will give a report “in the coming days” to reveal what she discovered. 

She also promised to publicize her recommendations. Robredo has barely raised the issue in her public events this week. 

On Tuesday during a meeting with volunteers in Naga City, the Vice President said there are still ways to provide assistance even if she is no longer with ICAD.

“Even if I am no longer in position, that does not mean that we can no longer do anything,” she said in Filipino during a meeting with volunteer group Mothers Against Drug Abuse.